


Per Aspera Ad Astra

by Lesya



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, But not for harmful reasons, Extremis Tony Stark, Kidnapping, M/M, Mystery, Not really Iron Man 3 compliant but has elements of it, Outer Space, Panic Attacks, Starkquill - Freeform, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Tony gets a space bf, Tony is in space, Tony-centric, additional tags will be added as i go along, not AOU compliant, not civil war compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2018-12-04 11:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11554692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesya/pseuds/Lesya
Summary: Tony Stark has succeeded in creating an Extremis that works (and doesn't end in fire breathing people and death). He's running tests in his lab, as per usual, when he loses consciousness and wakes up in a hospital.Or does he?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First Tony fic! And I've decided to make this Starkquill just because there's not much of it and I love it! Idk how heavily it will feature here, because this is a very Tony-centric story. There shouldn't be anything very scary or uncomfortable in the story, but if there's something particularly upsetting, I'll let you know. Enjoy!

**_Present_ **

He took a sip of whatever the hell this was supposed to be; it wasn’t anything like he’d had before, but alcohol was alcohol, no matter the galaxy and he wasn’t going to question it. He’d managed to snag a hat at some point, looking more like he was back in Tennessee rather than out here. Even the bar looked fairly normal, or it would’ve, had it not been for its occupants.

He had only one goal in mind right now: get to Xandar.

He’s heard things, things about someone called Ronan the Accuser coming to destroy that planet. He’s heard how the planet was saved by a group of criminals who now roam the galaxy and protect it. He’s also heard that they all managed to hold an infinity stone and not get obliterated. And in the process, they destroyed Ronan.

He isn’t sure he believes that particular rumor.

(He’s had his run-ins with a few of those and they practically screamed “don’t touch me or I _will_ destroy you”). 

Well, one thing he does know for sure is that they have a Terran on the team and that means he has a potential way to get home.

All he had to do was chat someone up, get a little bit of info. He doesn’t have nearly enough units for passage so he’s had to wing it, sneaking in and flying from planet to planet in some dingy cargo ships. Slowly, he’s made his way across the galaxy, with Xandar getting closer each step of the way.

The giant man next to him slid to the side and let out a laugh. He wasn’t Terran; Tony didn’t know what kind of race he was; he’d never met anyone like this.

He was red. Completely red. With yellow spots. So that was interesting.

All he knew was that apparently _this_ guy was taking his ship to Xandar. Next stop and he’s one step closer to home. But he didn’t bother sighing in relief; it was too early to get comfortable. If anything, this trip has been anything _but_ comfortable. The only thing that kept him going was some little bit of hope he’d reserved for the truly desperate times and the knowledge doled out to him by otherworldly ancient beings.

He looked at the guy, making sure he wasn’t paying him any mind. Satisfied that Spots was drunk enough not to bother him, Tony slid from the bar after paying the bartender and slipped away into the night. Spots was leaving tomorrow, so Tony had a couple hours to sneak on the ship.

He breathed in the fresh and filthy air of Knowhere and walked ahead to the docks, a new plan unfolding in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr @lesya-writes!!!


	2. 2 Months Ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there's anything particularly upsetting in this chapter, so no warnings for now. Hope you enjoy and don't be shy to leave comments!

**_2 Months ago_ **

 

“Sir, the results for the fourth test are in. Would you like to view them now?”

“Uh, yeah. Give me the stuff, J.”

The results lit up on the second screen, taking up most of the space. So far, so good.

“Would you like me to bring up the previous tests for comparison?”

“Yeah, throw ‘em up.”

The other three showed up, minimizing the fourth one. They all hovered together in front of him in two neat rows.

“Hey, mind compiling them all together into a neat graph for me?”

“On it, sir.”

The info disappeared and in seconds was replaced with a graph showing his overall stats.

“So how am I looking here? Am I dying? Losing my mind? Is my hair falling out?”

“No, sir, it appears your follicles are as strong as ever. Your hair will remain in place for the foreseeable future.”

“Thank God,” Tony sighed in relief.

“Yes, it would have been a tragedy otherwise. I can’t possibly imagine anything worse,” he said, sounding a bit terse in between the sarcasm. Tony’s brows went up. Okay. So he was still mad at him. Got it.

“Right. So, what do the tests say? They all still positive?”

“It appears so. Your blood pressure is average. Lung capacity is at 100%. And your temperature has remained the same. Everything appears stable.”

“For now.”

“For now,” he agreed.

“Huh. Okay. So I’m probably not dying.”

“No, the data shows you are not.”

“I could still be going crazy.”

“I doubt that. You are already mad enough.”

“That’s hurtful, J. My two feelings are very hurt.”

He looked at the graph and took a deep breath. He didn’t remember the last time he could actually breath that well, especially with the reactor in the way. The lungs were probably due to his increased healing factor, but he didn’t have enough data on it.

He needed more tests.

He sat down in one of his wheely chairs and scrolled over to the workbench.

“JARVIS, turn on the workbench camera for me.”

It lit up and focused on him.

“Alright, now focus on my left arm and record.”

Tony held his arm up and still while he got an X-acto knife that’s been lying around in a drawer.

“Sir?” JARVIS questioned with trepidation in his digital voice. “You’re not-” Tony brought the knife to his skin and slowly made a small incision on his left arm. The camera kept recording.

“As you can see, I am cutting up my arm. For science! Of course. With the increased healing factor, it should close up before I bleed out and die, but can’t know for sure. So, I am testing it out now,” he said to the camera.

“I would much prefer it if you did not attempt to harm yourself!” JARVIS said, sounding a bit too much like Pepper.

“I’m doing this for science, J! And I have increased healing, so I should be fine. Besides, it’s not that deep or big.”

He sat still, watching the blood pour out, quickly at first, but soon it was slowing down. He felt an itch, but resisted as the wound slowly scabbed over. Then the scab smoothed out and his skin was back to the same as it was before. It looked like it hadn’t even been touched.

Tony couldn’t look away.

The camera was still recording and he was about to tell JARVIS to cut it, but something caught his eye. He looked up and around, but there was nothing.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes. You were right, the wound healed pretty quickly. The rate is amazing, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. However, it seems that your overall strength is still the same, seeing as you can be hurt the same as ever.”

“Yeah- no. No, that’s not what I was talking about. I saw something move.”

“My cameras did not pick up on anything. There is no one in the workshop other than you, the bots, and me.”

Tony sighed and ran a hand down his face. Great. He was seeing things now.

“Okay, well then, never mind.”

“Sir, you’ve been awake for approximately 30 hours. I suggest you get some rest. Especially if you are beginning to hallucinate.”

“I am not hallucinating!”

There was another shadow, just out of sight at the corner of his eyes. He turned quickly, looking around his workshop, but again there was nothing. JARVIS was probably right. Not that Tony was going to admit that.

“So, it seems my hypothesis was correct; my healing ability is improved. That’s gonna be useful,” he muttered mostly to himself. It’s amazing how many scrapes and bruises he got, being a guy who wears armor and all.

“Sir, I really think you should follow my advice,” JARVIS said, sounding harried.

“I am fine, JARVIS,” Tony replied, getting a little annoyed now. He was grateful that apparently his A.I. cared, but he had more important things to do. He’d already ran five different tests, but that wasn’t going to be enough. He needed to monitor this thing. He doubted it’d get bad like last time, but one could never be too sure. (He really didn’t want to end up turning into a fire breathing rage monster. They already had a rage monster on the team and one was enough.)

“Did you save-” he cut off, holding his head as he swayed in his seat. “The results, J, did you save them?”

“Yes, sir. On your private servers. And might I remind you that you don’t have to speak aloud anym-”

This was ridiculous. He’d spent way longer staying up before and he wasn’t even tired. Or he hadn’t been. Everything started mixing and churning. The holograms turned into blue blurs and the edges of his sight slowly darkened. Ugh, not again.

“Sir?” asked JARVIS, his digital voice filled with panic.

He didn’t want to die. Not like this. Hopefully someone will get to him. JARVIS will save him.

“Sir!” was the last thing he heard before he completely blacked out.

* * *

 

Tony woke up with a start.

“JARVIS?” he tried calling out, but it was slurred and sounded more like a loud grunt.

He didn’t know how long he was out and why, but he did know one thing: he wasn’t home. The stuff underneath him was soft, but it wasn’t his bed.

He tried to think.

What was the last thing he remembered? He was in his workshop, running tests as usual. JARVIS was being a mother hen and he’d been annoyed, because he’d been hallucinating from lack of sleep...

So, he was at the hospital, huh.

He hated hospitals. Tried to avoid them (which is probably ironic, given his line of work). Mostly, he’d been successful, what with the suit and all. And he should be even better now that he has Extremis. But it appears he’s wrong. Not even Extremis can save him from his insomnia and inevitable crash. He didn’t usually end up in the hospital, though. He just slept at the workbench, or someone carried him off to bed. (He knew for a fact that it was both Steve and Thor who did that, but he’s not prepared to ever have that conversation even though he wants to desperately thank them).

Did he hit his head or something? Must have, with the way it was pounding. If he didn’t know any better he’d say he was experiencing a serious hangover. But was it necessary to take him to the hospital? He did have Extremis. He’ll be fine in no time.

What day was it anyway?

He opened his mouth, but decided against speaking for now. Instead, he worked past his headache and reached out to JARVIS.

He got nothing but silence.

That was a little strange, but he was injured after all. And he might not be at the tower’s medical facility. For some reason.

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that there’s no reason to panic. Everything’s fine. JARVIS had been a good boy and called for help. Help came and now Tony was safely recovering.

It would have been nice to have someone at his bedside to wake up to, though.

Huh.

There wasn’t a chair there, on either side. In fact, there were no chairs in the room.

He turned his head as much as he could and looked around.

First thing he noticed were the walls. The two walls left and right of him were stony, rough like rock. They were a muted grey and had strange patterns on them. Weird art? Maybe. The lights were a cool blue, running along the walls on top, instead of on the ceiling. The ceiling, like the walls were a muted grey, but without markings. Which told him that they were deliberate and not an accident of nature. The design of the room was sleek and neat. And the colors were meant to soothe. None of the usual overbearing white of hospitals. He wondered where this was; he’d never been to a hospital like this. And he was quite acquainted with most of the local hospitals (and even a few overseas).

The second (weird) thing he’d noticed was the sound. Or lack of it. No beeping. No t.v. No nurses and patients rushing by.

It was completely quiet.

Huh. That was weird.

Just in case, he reached down and felt along his chest. He felt the reactor, safely underneath his hand.

He let out a sigh.

As long as that was there, he was alive. That’s all that mattered. He was almost 100% sure this was not a hospital and this definitely wasn’t a room in the tower. He knew that the room was supposed to soothe (blue is known to be a relaxing color and blue light is used to make people feel safer and calmer), but the rocky walls were making him remember another time. It seemed so long ago, like a lifetime had passed. And yet, he’d never forget; it was what made him who he is today. It was _the_ defining moment. It didn’t look like this was quite the same as last time, but he’d been alive too long to be naïve now. In his line of work, wariness and caution pays off.

What were the options here?

Maybe this was a dream of some sort. Maybe he was still in his lab, passed out on the floor with JARVIS screaming at him. Yeah, that’s probably it. (He probably shouldn’t feel so relieved to think that).

In the meantime, he could explore. Hey, this would be a good experiment, right? He knew Extremis had changed him and his mind, but he didn’t know the complete extent of it. Yeah, his brain was a computer now, but that doesn’t mean his dreams would change this drastically. Everything seemed crisp, lacking a certain haziness that all his dreams usually possessed. And he wasn’t in any visible danger or dying, so. That was a plus.

This was his time to explore his subconscious mind. Why it would choose to make this room, he wasn’t sure. Maybe all the stress had overwhelmed him recently and his brain is screaming at him to just relax? He was expecting way weirder than a nice room. Maybe this was a safe place? Or some kind of starting point and he had to get out to see more. Like all his deepest fears and desires. 

He raised his head, feeling a pang, but it slowly subsided. He sat up and pushed the covers aside. His feet touched the floor and-

What the hell?

He felt it distinctly, the cool smoothness of the ground. He pinched his arm and felt the stinging pain. He ran a hand over the covers and felt their softness. He looked around for something sharp to use, but there was nothing in sight that could do the job.

He pinched himself again, on the leg this time. He felt the pain, again.

So.

Definitely not a dream.

Could still be a walk in his own subconscious, but was he supposed to feel anything in here? Probably not. He looked up in the corners of the room, but he didn’t see any cameras.

Still. Not seeing doesn’t mean nothing’s there and Tony was a scientist, yes, but he believed that sight was not the end-all be-all determining factor of existence. Gravity was a thing, after all.

No, not a dream, he was just in an unknown location, in a bed, and in a nice room. At least he was still clothed and-

What the fuck.

Tony looked down at himself.

He wasn’t wearing his usual stuff. No jeans, no ratty old tee. Just a long white robe thing. Like a dress. Or a hospital gown, except this thing actually covered his ass.

Okay. So his captors saw his junk, probably. It wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to him. Plus, he had his arc reactor still in place. Something told him that whoever these guys were, they weren’t in it for the murderous revenge. Maybe they wanted some kind of weapon. They were sure asking nicely (compared to the last guys). Tony wasn’t keen on reciprocating.

He got up, intent on trying to figure out as much as he can before his captors could return. Because they will, eventually. There was no way around that. And when they did come, things would be much more difficult. But also easier, in some ways.

He’d know what was going on, for one, who was keeping him and what they wanted.

He didn’t make it far before he noticed something.

Or a lack of something.

The fabric; it was so smooth and thin, he barely felt it on his skin. When he got up, he hadn’t felt any movement on his skin. And despite its thinness, he didn’t feel any chill through it. The room was kept slightly cool and while he felt the coolness on his skin, it didn’t seem to go through the cloth.

Now that he looked more closely, he didn’t think he’d ever seen anything like it. And he was rich. He bought some expensive sheets. The thread count on this cloth was probably unlike anything he’d ever seen or possessed. Definitely not factory produced, then. And definitely nothing he was acquainted with.

He walked around, looking for anything that could potentially be useful, but the room was pretty much bare. The room itself was made from something also unknown to Tony (all he knew was that it was some kind of rock, but beyond that he got nothing). The ground was white and every time he stepped it would send ripples, like a finger on a touch screen.

Maybe it was reading him? Analyzing and keeping track of where he was in the room? But why, if cameras are a thing. But he hadn’t seen any. (Although, he’s still holding onto the theory that they’re there, he just can’t see them).

If there aren’t any cameras, then that means they are giving him privacy. Still monitoring him (if the floor is, in fact, keeping track), but not keeping direct watch.

That seems strange. He was Tony Stark; every good villain knew you had to watch him like a hawk. You couldn’t even give him pen. This was kinda insulting, actually, that they didn’t see him as a threat.

But maybe that could be an advantage. Have them thinking he’s too weak and stupid to cause any real harm.

He walked to the walls, carefully tracing the carvings. From when he was laying down, they’d looked like mindless scribbles, like art. But now that he was upright and close, he noticed a pattern to them. There were also notches that stood out apart from the carvings and together they formed...what? Was it art, really?

Could be, since humans were known for using shapes and repeating patterns in art and design. But something whispered at the back of his mind that this was no ordinary art. Because to him, it looked more like symbols then art. And symbols usually meant language. Whatever they were, he couldn’t decipher what they meant; they didn’t look like any language he’s ever seen.

A code, perhaps?

And that’s when it hit him: Extremis. He had Extremis now, coursing through his veins. He could always use it to get into their systems. They didn’t know about that. No one apart from his teammates, Pepper, and Rhodey knew about that. But if someone had found out it would very easily explain his situation.

He took a deep breath and reached out with Extremis, searching for anything to latch on to. He was picking something up, yes. But whatever it was, he couldn’t decipher it. Which was bizarre. He knew every programming language there was to know. He’d managed to get into everything. Except for whatever this was, apparently. He didn’t know what this all could mean. Hell, he could be going up against a firewall and he wouldn’t even know it. This coding language was foreign to him.

He swallowed.

He had been fine, but now he was starting to sweat a little.

Everything here was strange and foreign. And not in that “other country” foreign. No, this was foreign in a more interplanetary way. You could say this all seemed very...alien.

No!

Nope.

There was a perfectly good explanation for all of this that didn’t involve aliens. Actually, there were three.

The first one was the easiest explanation: he was just having a dream. He was gonna wake up and be at his workbench like usual. Which was an idea he already disproved, but maybe he was wrong and the reason the stuff on the walls made no sense was because you can’t read in dreams. He pinched himself for a third time, just in case. It still hurt. And he was still there.

But no need to panic, there was option numero dos: he was on drugs. A lot of drugs. Who knew what kind of stuff they gave you in hospitals. He was still in the hospital room, he hit his head, and now he was drugged up and hallucinating. But he wasn’t in bed. He was pretty sure he was walking around.

So the third and final option was that he was on Earth, but in a highly advanced facility that for some reason no one knew about. It’s not SHIELD, that’s for sure. Hey, maybe there was another genius rich guy running around and building secret bases. But then, Tony would know. However, the programming language is something he’d never encountered. So whoever this is, they managed to hide their accomplishments quite well. There were only a few who had the resources for this. And no. This was not Hammer. He wouldn’t have kept a secret like this (like he would even _have_ a secret like this). Besides, the guy’s too stupid to even think of playing dumb. He seemed to have a strong desire to prove something to the world, there’s no way he wouldn’t have bragged.

So Tony decided the best solution was a mix of number two and three: he was in a facility on Earth but also heavily drugged. Once they wear off he’s sure he’ll stop seeing weird symbols on walls and he’ll know where he is.

Tony sat down back on his bed and let out a sigh.

All he had to do for now was wait for the drugs to stop fucking with his head.

Waiting, huh.

He could do that. He’s done plenty of that before. He hated it, but he could do it, especially if it meant coming up with a plan to get the fuck out of here.

With nothing better to do, he started counting.


	3. 152

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony has a bit of a panic attack in this chapter so if that's upsetting, you should skip. It starts at "His mind went to New York" and ends at "Right." Enjoy!

_152._

He’d reached 152 before anything actually happened. He was still on the bed, staring out and hoping the drugs were wearing off. If they were, he was sure he was gonna feel it. But apparently he was hoping for too much.

He hadn’t even heard it, but the opening in the wall certainly caught his attention.

The drugs seemed to be going strong, as evidenced by the person-being-thing that was standing in the opening. Truthfully, _that_ was the last thing Tony had been expecting. Hell, it hadn’t even been on the list.

_This was just the drugs_ , he told himself. _It must be_. _It couldn’t actually be_ -

Except yeah, it definitely could. Maybe he would’ve side-eyed anyone talking about alien invasions as totally real possibilities before New York. Now? Now he understood that in the grand scheme of things he knew very little of what was going on in the universe. There were entire civilizations out there that humans had no knowledge of even existing. Civilizations with the capability to utterly annihilate entire planets and races.

So this could 100% be aliens.

Tony had known to expect aliens, yeah. After the Battle of New York, he had to calculate them into the whole potential list of Everything That Could Potentially Destroy the World. But he hadn’t expected them like _this_. He was sort of expecting an invasion 2.0.

In fairness, he should’ve been more intelligent when approaching this problem. He should’ve remembered that aliens worked in two ways: they either invaded the world or they kidnapped a human and invaded their bodies.

So, _great_.

Later he would say that he had reacted very coolly and he’d been totally chill with this turn of events.

What he did instead was shout and scramble back like a dumbass until he fell out of the bed. He quickly sat up and looked over the top of it at the alien standing in the, for lack of a better word, doorway.  

The alien stood and watched him, a strange look on its face. It quirked its head at him, but didn’t approach; it- _they_ stood at the doorway, probably waiting for Tony to get his shit together so they could come over and dissect him. Or something.

He mentally slapped himself. _Come on, Tony. Now is not the time for drama_. _Stop being such a wuss._ He took a deep breath and quickly regrouped his thoughts and tried to reason his way out of this.

What did he know?

  * He was not on Earth, clearly.
  * He was kidnapped by aliens.
  * Said aliens changed him out of his clothes and kept him in a room which may or may not be a cell.
  * They kept the arc reactor in.
  * They wanted him alive.
  * They hadn’t hurt him (at least not to his knowledge. Nothing hurt, but they still could’ve pumped him with unknown substances).
  * The alien didn’t approach him when he freaked out.
  * Their technologies appeared to be advanced beyond Earth, therefore his chances of escape were exactly zero.



Putting things in perspective like that was a bit relaxing.

But, what could they possibly want with him, though? If they were so advanced, why would they need Tony for anything? Unless they actually did want to experiment on him. But then, that was all Hollywood, right?

Right?

He swallowed and tried to relax. This all seemed nice, but there was a catch; there was always a catch. He was sure the suffering would come later, in some shape or form.

“Hello?” he asked. The alien continued staring and blinked. Now that his meltdown was over with (or rather, put on hold until a more convenient time), he looked at them, really looked.

They were tall and had flowing robes in a bright red. The robes looked important. Not extravagant, per se, just important. Important in the way a priest’s robes are important. They had white threads on the bottom, making out patterns that were either only art, or actual words like the ones on the walls. Their skin was a pale purple with mint green spots that appeared like freckles all over their head. Their eyes were all black (like the stereotypical little green men). They had strange appendages on their face and markings that could either be natural or tattoos. They had no hair. Their hands had four fingers, very long and thin, but not pointy. No claws. And Tony didn’t see any sharp teeth sticking out of their mouth, either. Some basic part of him instinctually relaxed. Maybe it didn’t see the alien as a deadly predator that would eat Tony. Cool.

That didn’t mean it couldn’t hurt him in other ways.

“Uh, you gonna talk or am I being given the silent treatment?”

The alien opened their mouth and spoke, but Tony had no idea what they said. The language was easily flowing, but it sounded almost like two voices overlaying each other. It just made it even more confusing.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak alien. Pretty good at French and Italian. Though, to be honest, I never was much of a ‘languages’ kinda guy.”

The alien didn’t speak again, but turned their head to the side, clearly looking at someone. Soon, another one came into sight behind the first alien. They both stood, heads together, discussing something quietly and quickly.

“Gossip? Really? I am right _here_ , you know.” A part of Tony wished he would stop speaking lest he get probed or something, but then they didn’t understand him so what did he have to lose? “Some advice: if you wanna talk behind my back, you should really put more effort in it and maybe like, leave or something.”

Two pairs of equally deep black eyes turned back to him and for the first time he noticed that their eyes were surrounded by blue. It was uneven, but flowing and changing minutely. You could barely see it, but it was there. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that was natural, not makeup. The soft blue lights from the room and beyond bounced off their eyes and Tony couldn’t help but to think they looked a little like stars.

His mind went to New York. It was like he was there again, but looking from the outside, in. And he saw himself grab the nuke and fly towards the huge portal in the sky, surrounded by blue. And soon, he flew in and he was gone and the deep empty space surrounded him. The arc reactor was slowly failing and Tony felt himself fall through endless space, not slowing down, because there was nothing _to_ slow him down. The cold was creeping in as a bright light flashed before him. The missile hit, the missile he’d been carrying hit the ship. The ship burned and Tony slowly lost his oxygen as he struggled to breath and he fell and fell and...

...hands. He felt hands, on his shoulders and a quiet voice speaking in gibberish. No, not gibberish, a language. An alien language.

Right.

He wasn’t in deep space. This wasn’t New York and he had no missile and no armor. He was on a planet, down on his knees and hands, trying to breath. It wasn’t his own planet, but it was solid ground at least. He could breathe, for now. There was air...

Air?

“How?” he couldn’t help asking. “How do you have air, breathable air? Humans need a specific atmosphere to thrive, but how did you...You’re in here with me, so you didn’t manufacture it. You breath the same...Is all life supposed to thrive off of the same stuff?”

He kept his head down, but turned slightly to the side. He refused to look up. He couldn’t look into those eyes. At least, not yet. And he hated it. Tony wasn’t the kind of guy who was afraid of looking someone in the eye and telling them like it is. He grew up learning how to be bigger and better than everyone else, or they’d jump on him like sharks. Any sign of weakness and he’s bait.

He wanted to think he wasn’t a coward, but it seems he was wrong.

The alien’s hand is still on his shoulder, not clutching, just resting in a comforting way. That was strange. Why would they bother with something like that? Why help him when he panicked? What would they gain? His trust, maybe. But what’s the trust for, is the question. He’s learned, over the years, that nothing in this world is more precious than trust.

And he knows that it should never be given out freely.

Tony couldn’t understand what the hell these beings were saying to him.

But he did understand that he wasn’t allowed to go out. So apparently he was stuck in this room, probably being observed and kept like some kind of pet. But seeing how advanced these beings were, he probably seemed like nothing to them. He was one of the smartest men on Earth, the most technologically advanced, and yet he was like a child next to them. No, not even a child. He was the Cro-Magnon to their Homo sapiens.

He wasn’t a threat.

But hey, he should look at the bright side; at least they weren’t running invasive tests on him. Or maybe they were and he just didn’t know it yet. Maybe it was just too small for him to feel. Or maybe it was invasive in some other way.

Well, they’d certainly find his blood and brain interesting, but they should’ve chosen another human for their experiments; he was not exactly a perfect model of what an average human was like. It was like studying Steve. Or the Hulk.

So while they kept him in his room, they didn’t leave him completely alone. They gave him something that might or might not be a tablet and they showed him (or he thought they showed him) how to use the bigger screen that was apparently the wall. It was some kind of rock, he was sure of it. And yet it acted like a screen for a hologram. Interesting.

The other interesting thing was that the tablet seemed to show him weird symbols - their language, he presumed - and an accompanying picture.

Why would they do that? What was the purpose of showing him things he couldn’t possibly understand?

Or maybe...

Maybe that was exactly the point: to make him understand.

He tried tapping on the screen to see what happened and the word ended up being highlighted. Then he heard a sound. Maybe that was the sound of the word? He did it again. And again.

And again.

He knew he could never make the sound perfectly (who knew what kind of vocal chords these guys had), but he tried his best to listen and remember what it sounded like. Then he tried to recreate it, though he felt as if he’d failed spectacularly.

When he looked up, he saw that his two friends were watching him. He felt like a dumb kid, not knowing what anything in the world did and he had to press all the buttons to figure it out. It’s been a long time since Tony felt quite this out of his depth. The last time had been the scepter, but we don’t talk about that.

He looked at the symbols.

He looked at the pictures.

He listened to the sounds.

He repeated.

 

And he learned.

* * *

 

He doesn’t know how long it’s been (he doesn’t have a clock in here and what would be the point in keeping track on an alien planet/station anyway? Their concept of time is probably nowhere near the same), but he’s pretty sure it’s been days. They’ve kept him busy, showing him things, trying to get him to understand.

_But to what purpose?_

What do they hope to accomplish by kidnapping a human and teaching them?

And he’s sure that’s all they’re doing, because there haven’t been any tests of any sort. They fed him regularly (this is honestly the most structured food schedule he’s had in ever); one of them kept bringing him food that was strange and clearly not from earth, but it looked like it could be plants. Which actually reassured Tony, because there was a possibility that they were vegetarian or herbivores. And he _knew_ they probably weren’t going to eat him, but that base instinct down deep inside still needed constant reminding from time to time.

He was wary, at first, to try the food (this was an alien food source; there was no way to predict what it would do to his body. What if it was toxic?), but the aliens were intelligent enough to figure out interplanetary travel; they were probably aware of all that. They knew it wasn’t going to kill him.

So he ate the strange plants which tasted sweet, sour, and some even salty. And while he snacked he practiced his alien language skills. Jeez, the rest of humanity really needed to keep up. Once he got back he’d open up an alien school. The kids of tomorrow need to know this stuff ASAP.

  _If I get home, that is_.

But he will. He was somewhere in space, on another planet, potentially millions of miles from home (if not light years), but he would do it. Because he was Tony Stark. Because he needed to. He still had some things to do.

So apparently, they aren’t the kind of aliens that invaded (worlds or bodies). The only other kind he’s ever been exposed to was E.T. But he supposes in this case, he’s E.T. and the aliens are Elliot.

He’s got questions, but one thing he keeps coming back to is, _how did they even grab me_?

He wasn’t out and about. He was in the workshop. He remembered hearing JARVIS freaking out, but nothing else besides that. Unless he was admitted into the hospital and _then_ they grabbed him.

He looked up when the original alien, the first one he came into contact with, came in. They did not approach Tony or speak, just stared out with their deep and endless black eyes. Tony struggled, desperately wanting to pull away, but also unwilling to show any more signs of weakness. (Not that they even cared, but it was Tony’s pride _goddamnit_ ).

He just couldn’t help but think of the portal. And the Cube that started it all. And-

And Tony was an idiot.

He bolted upright in his bed. “That’s it! That’s how you guys did it. You made a portal. And brought me here using it. It’s the fastest mode of transport. But how? How did you manage to create a stable portal? But then again, the Asgardians did it, so why not you.” He spoke mostly to himself, but the alien cocked their head and blinked. However, they did not move. They didn’t say anything.

Tony clasped his hands together.

He turned to look at the alien and decided that introductions were necessary. Since he got the hang of the basics, he tried his best to imitate their strange speech.

“ _Tony_ ,” he said, pointing at himself. “ _You are_?” He tried to keep it simple and to the point (and also he didn’t know too many words so he didn’t have much of a choice).

The creature’s eyes seemed to widen, the blue spreading out more before receding. They opened their mouth and started speaking, “ _I am R’aath Ir Omzhel, Tony Stark._ ”

R’aath, huh. That’s an interesting name.

Wait. He didn’t-

“How do you know my name?” Then, because he’s an idiot sometimes, he repeated it back in their language. It sounded clunky, not smooth like R’aath’s speech and he was nowhere as eloquent. He kept his speech simple and R’aath seemed to do the same. He knew a few words, but nowhere near the skill level needed to hold a decent conversation. Hi speech was still broken; he’d need to listen to it more and speak with the others (even if it was hard to understand).

“ _We have watched you for a while, Tony Stark. We know who you are_ ,” is what R’aath said. Tony missed a few words, but he got the gist of it.

“ _But why?_ ”

“ _Because we need to tell you something_.”

“ _Okay? So you take me?_ ”

“ _We did not want bad things. We did not want fights with your people._ ”

Yeah, after New York, people probably wouldn’t welcome aliens with open arms (except for maybe Thor, but that’s because he’s dreamy). If these beings had come, humanity would have reacted with violence and that would’ve started another war. And he was sure they would have lost this one.

So they wanted to tell him something, impart some knowledge?

“ _Why? Why tell me_?”

“ _There is danger. To your planet and the universe_ ,” except Tony hadn’t learned that last word yet. But somehow, he knew. He felt it in his bones. When you say certain words, they seem to weigh heavier, they seem to hold a truth that’s beyond knowing.

“ _Danger?_ ”

“ _Yes. I will tell you more. Later. Rest now, child._ ” And that was strange, calling him a child. But then, he probably was, compared to them. They could be as old as Thor, if not older.

Tony was curious and he desperately wanted to know more, but he felt exhausted. So he laid down and put the tablet aside. R’aath blinked once more, waved their hand in a circular gesture and left. The door closed behind them and Tony shut his eyes along with it.

He had a dreamless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter. If you wanna chat, you can find me @lesyawrites on tumblr. Don't forget to comment! Thank you for reading.


	4. Have Faith, Captain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's been so long since I updated! I'm sorry, but life, ya know. Also, this chapter was so difficult to write?? I'm still not happy with it, but it's what I got. Hope you enjoy!

At 3:42 A.M., the alarms in the tower go off.

Steve groans, waking up to stark darkness, but moves, however sluggishly, to get ready and prepared; every second counts when it comes to saving lives.

When he finally gets into uniform, he runs down to the hangar, Natasha already in front of the quinjet and ready to go. She’s always the first one down. Steve is usually last (which is really bad for a leader, but he’s bad at waking up. Not even the army managed to change his love of sleeping in). This time, he’s second with Bruce and Thor trailing him. Clint comes after them.

Tony, Steve notices, is not there. Which is usual, because he’s usually very quick since he’s not even asleep most of the time.

JARVIS silently watches as each of them look around, shooting each other confused looks.

“You will not be needing the Quinjet for this mission,” JARVIS tells them. They all seem confused for a second, but take his word for it and quietly walk down to the central meeting room they usually use for discussions.

When they are all inside and seated, JARVIS is ready to begin.

Tony’s chair is left empty, Steve notices and he starts to get a really bad feeling about this.

“JARVIS,” began the Captain, “where is Iron Man?”

It was strange for Tony not to be there. He never missed one of their calls, no matter what he was doing.

“That’s what I have called you all for,” JARVIS replies. “Sir has gone missing.”

Everyone stills. Clint stops bouncing his leg, Bruce sits up, and Thor furrows his brows.

“Missing how? Like, kidnap missing or...” Hawkeye is the first to brave asking.

“Sir was working in his workshop when he suddenly disappeared,” JARVIS informed them.

“Okaaay. Sudden disappearance. What does that mean?”

“Exactly as I said: he disappeared. I do not know the cause of this and I have run scans already. I have come up with nothing.”

“Um, can we get some proof, because I’m having a hard time believing this,” Clint said.

“Clint, we deal with crazy shit almost every day. We’ve dealt with portals and cosmic energies and who knows what else,” Natasha replied. She was trying to keep her cool, but a missing team mate was no joke. She liked mysteries, as long as she wasn’t personally involved with them.

“JARVIS, can you show us the feed of when you last saw him and when he disappeared?” asked the Captain, ever calm.

“Yes, of course.” He turned on the screen at the head of the room and started playing the last couple of minutes up until Sir disappeared, right when Sir was testing out Extremis.

They sat and listened as Sir went on about explaining what he was doing. They watched as his wound healed.

“Did you see that?” Sir asked on the video. He looked startled, looking around, his eyes darting around the workshop.

Nothing had been there, JARVIS was sure. He’d run the video 15,388 times and scanned the workshop with everything he was capable of. Perhaps it had only been a hallucination and not related to the disappearance after all.

The others watched closely, carefully looking to see any sign of anything strange. They wouldn’t find anything; the strangest thing going on at that time had been Sir seeing things. That all changed, however, when Sir vanished from thin air.

When the video got to that part, at 2 minutes and 3 seconds, they all gasped. He supposed it was shocking, seeing someone disappear like that; it wasn’t intuitive, seemed to go against all the known laws of physics. But JARVIS had seen this already, over and over again. It was just a known fact at this point.

And as Black Widow had said, they had dealt with strange things before and managed to get through them. This was another mission to complete, but for JARVIS it was all too familiar. 

“Okay, so this is weird,” Hawkeye said. “Probably a portal of some sort. I say it’s got something to do with Thor’s people.”

“No, it cannot be,” replied Thor. “Our Bifrost does not work that way; it would’ve left a mark and you would have seen the energy. We saw nothing in the video. He simply vanished.”

“Maybe he’s not gone,” Dr. Banner suggested.

“What do you mean?” asked the Captain.

“Well, what if he’s still here, we just can’t see him?”

“You think he’s _invisible_?” asked Hawkeye, clearly doubtful of the theory.

“Why not? It’s possible. Besides, the helicarrier can cloak itself, so why not a person?”

“Well, it doesn’t work that way. Right? I mean, it’s gotta be different for people.”

“JARVIS, was Tony working on any projects that could have had him disappearing as a side effect?” asked the Captain.

“There is one such project in recent history, but it is classified as of yet. Apart from Extremis, none of the other projects have such unpredictable effects.”

“You think this is Extremis?”

“It’s difficult to say. I have no data showing any such previous effects on all the other previous patients who received Extremis from Aldrich Killian. This disappearance is also not within the predicted effects. I’ve run countless simulations to predict all the possibilities of the modified Extremis virus Sir has created. None of them include invisibility. Even if Sir was not visible in the human range, I should have been able to detect him on higher or lower frequencies. It appears he is gone, in every sense of the word.”

“Not every. He’s _not_ dead,” the Captain said stubbornly.

“We don’t know that,” Natasha said quietly.

“No, but we have to assume. Our teammate could be in danger. We need to know as much as possible. And notify Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodes. They need to be in the know.”

“They have already been notified, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS said. And sure enough, in a couple seconds there was a call made from Miss Pott’s phone. JARVIS accepted her call and put her on speaker.

“Oh my god, what’s going on? What happened with Tony? Was he kidnapped? Again?” she sounded distressed, which wasn’t anything new, but this time she seemed even more worried. The other times the team had seen her worry, it was mostly after seeing Tony do something dangerous and reckless. But now she sounded terrified.

It was probably an effect of the first kidnapping, when Tony had been gone for months. It seemed like it was in the past, but apparently it had more lasting effects than previously thought.

“We do not know, Miss Potts,” JARVIS replied. “All we know is that he has vanished.”

“He’ll be back,” the Captain replied. “We’ll find him and bring him back. Or, who knows, maybe he’ll find us. He’s funny like that.” The Captain tried to be lighthearted and it seemed to calm Miss Potts. The worry was put aside for now; now was the time for action.

“JARVIS, give me everything you got. I need to know everything. Keep me updated, all of you.”

They all gave her their word and she hung up. Colonel Rhodes was the second to call. He sounded more resigned than anything, but when he heard the nature of Sir’s disappearance, he grew alarmed.

“Oh hell no, don’t tell me this is some alien bullshit _again_.”  

“There’s a strong possibility it is,” Dr. Banner replied. “We’ve dealt with portals before. Who knows, maybe he fell into another space.”

“You think he might be, what, in another dimension?”

“Who knows. We need more time to figure this out. It’s only been a few minutes.”

“Tony, you ass. I swear,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “Well, just tell me when you get the whole interdimensional travel figured out.”

“We’ll keep you posted.”

“Does Pepper know?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. And once you do figure it out, I’ll be the first one to go through to get my best friend’s ass out of hell.”

“Sure, if he doesn’t figure it out himself first. Wouldn’t be a first.”

Colonel Rhodes laughed. “Yeah, he would do that, wouldn’t he.”

“Wouldn’t put it past him,” Clint replied, a small smirk on his face. Everyone knew by now how tricky Sir could get.

 “Keep in touch. Gotta run,” the Colonel said his parting words and hung up.

The Avengers all sat around the table, silently thinking to themselves. They were all ready to fight, adrenaline still high, but now they had to put their energy to other things. Dr. Banner rose and announced, “I’m going down to his lab. I want to look around and see if I can get some energy readings beyond what JARVIS has found.”

They all nodded to him and he left, going down to his own lab to get some equipment.

Thor was the next to get up.

“I shall go to Asgard.”

“Thor, you can’t! What if we need you here, buddy?” Clint cried out.

“You can handle yourselves in battle perfectly fine without my help. I mean, you won’t ever be as good as you are when I’m here, but you’re not completely helpless.”

“...Thanks.”

“You’re welcome! Besides, I’ll be of more use going back. My people have more knowledge of these things. Perhaps I can learn something of Tony’s disappearance.”

“That’s a good idea, Thor,” replied the Captain. “Bring back good news.”

Thor nodded and gave a salute, then proceeded out of the room. He went up on the balcony and called out to Heimdall. With a burst of golden light, he was gone and there were only four Avengers left.

The Captain spoke up, “JARVIS, what about that classified project of his? You think it had any play here?”

“I highly doubt it, Captain Rogers. I have restrictions on the classifications. I can reveal some, in certain situations. If I had deemed it necessary, I would have revealed the project to you.”

“I see. So it’s something completely unknown.”

“It appears so.”

The Captain sighed and put his head in his hands.

“Alright. That means we have a lot of work to do.”

If JARVIS could smile, he supposed he would have, at this moment.

“Have faith, Captain.”

Steve sighed, then paused.

_Did an AI just tell me to have hope?_

* * *

 

Tony woke up with a start, the endless black of sleep melting away and welcoming in the soothing blue light of the room he was apparently living in for the time being.

For a second, Tony felt disoriented, but soon remembered where he was.

_Not home_.

That was the best way to describe this place without making him completely lose it.

He got up slowly and went to the bathroom that was next to the room. He wondered when R’aath will be back; he so desperately wanted to know everything.

_Danger_ , R’aath had said. But what kind? That word was so nebulous, it could mean anything. He preferred specifics; easier to deal with the problem when you know exactly what you’re up against.

But the danger wasn’t just to Earth, it was to the universe itself. And how was Tony supposed to help with something like that? He _was_ here to help, right?

How could _he_ help these advanced beings?

Tony wasn’t an overly modest guy and he didn’t waste time with it; he knew what his strengths and weaknesses were and his intellect would figure into the “strengths” categories. He was the guy to go to when the world was ending. But this? What use do they have for some wide-eyed, gaping-mouth human that barely understood their tech?

The knowledge these guys possessed was probably so immense....he really needed to know.

This was all too much. He couldn’t focus. He _needed_ to focus. The best thing to do is gather as much intel as possible. It’s what Nat would do. And then she’d use that intel to get out. But Tony wasn’t Black Widow. He was Iron Man; flashy was his middle name and he always made sure to go out with a bang.

He still had a hard time believing all of this was real. He almost didn’t. A part of him still thought that this must all be some convoluted dream or some kind of spell (because those were a _thing_ ).

But when R’aath came into the room, those thoughts left. Was it really important, at this point, if it’s all real or not? He knows he can feel pain here and that’s as real as anything. He better play along and see where this takes him.

“ _Come, child. We leave, now_ ,” R’aath said.

“ _Leave?_ ” Tony asked.

“ _Only the room. You should see where we are._ ” R’aath turned and started walking.

Tony followed without a word.

He could feel his stomach churning and his breathing getting quicker. Was it excitement? Anxiousness? Dread? He wasn’t sure. His thoughts, which had been quieted by R’aath, started racing again.

He clenched his hand and tried to breath.

Now was not the time for this. This was an entire other planet, a whole other world. How many people can claim they’ve been on another planet before? The closest humanity’s gotten is the moon. They’ve sent rovers to Mars, but physically being there in person?

Tony stops walking.

He is the first person to step foot on another planet. He is the first to experience something like this. Sci-fi authors have written about this for how long now? And now Tony gets to actually do it. He felt his face break into a smile and ahead, he saw R’aath turn back to look at him. They stood and looked, but didn’t say anything. Tony wasn’t sure what kind of expression was on their face.

He didn’t give it too much thought and began walking again, catching up to the alien.

They went down a long hallway that was lit just like his room until they reached a large and open space. They were on the “second” floor, a sort of balcony, and Tony looked down at the teeming activity on the floor below; R’aath’s people were coming and going, walking along or sitting down at a table to eat. At the far end, on the right side, he could see a track, where empty cars came in and out to take people to different places, like mini trains. There were booths where people seemed to be working. There were holoscreens everywhere, displaying various information in their strange language. Everything was sleek and neat (not like human technology, which was usually much more crude, messy, and bulky. Not that Tony didn’t try to make it look more appealing). It looked pretty normal, but one thing caught his interest.

Running along the walls and floors were blue wires, but they didn’t look like wires. They made him think more of a swamp with many vines, or like a tree with long roots trying to escape. They seemed to be integrated in a way that made them appear almost organic. And that rock that was in his room was also present farther down the room.

R’aath stood patiently and let Tony look around like an overexcited kid. When Tony turned to them to show he was done with the sight-seeing for now, he expected R’aath to move on somewhere else. Specifically somewhere outside. He really wanted to see it. He needed to see. This was an important scientific discovery.

He was about to ignore R’aath and walk down to the lower floor, but R’aath stopped him with a single gesture. Instead of walking, they pointed ahead, where Tony saw large metallic blinds. They were closed tightly together, but he assumed there was a way they moved and opened. Apparently they weren’t going outside today, but at least he could still see it.

Somewhere up above he heard a loud signal, a simple tune. He heard the shutters groan and slowly start to move; they were big and heavy and they made tons of noise as they slowly scraped open. They grated on his ears, but R’aath seemed unbothered; either they was used to it or their hearing was very different from Tony’s.

Tony was ready to see this new world, to see all its fauna and flora. What kind of climate would they have? Would it vary throughout the planet like on Earth? Would it stay relatively the same everywhere? And what about their cities? They must look otherworldly, based on what Tony has already seen.

When the shutters went completely up, Tony had to close his eyes. He held his hand up, trying to block out the cutting light. It sure as hell wasn’t that bright on Earth. Were they close to a star?

Blinking rapidly, his eyes slowly adapted and he dropped his hand. The sight that greeted him made him pause.

Because it wasn’t another world Tony saw.

It was the endless black of space, riddled with stars.        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! so, how y'all feeling about this turn of events? (it probably shouldn't be too shocking)


	5. Chosen Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guy!!! haven't posted in forever! there's a panic attack warning for the beginning of this chapter so proceed with caution. hope you enjoy.

Tony’s mind halts.

He can’t think, he can’t move.

He tries to breathe, but his throat seems to have closed up.

He tries to take in more and more air but it’s not enough. His body is screaming at him that he _needs_ oxygen and he tries. The air makes its way to his lungs, and he feels them expanding but it doesn’t do anything.

He’s choking.

His lungs.

His lungs are giving out. That’s what this is. His reactor must be failing, it’s happened before. But it was fine before, why now? He looks down and sees the bright blue shining as clear as always. No random ticks or sputters.

It's not the machinery that’s failing. It’s him.

He’s panicking. Again.

How many _times_ is he going to go through this? In front of a stranger, no less?

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to desperately forget what he saw, trying to push it all away out of sight and out of mind. But it doesn’t work, because he _knows_.

_He knows_.

Throughout this whole ordeal, R’aath stands to the side and watches, curious and confused. They are unsure of what to do in this situation and what exactly this means. Tony’s breathing is unusual, but the device in his chest is still working. R’aath turns to look around, but most of the others are downstairs and no one seems to have noticed the reaction.

This started after the shutters went up. It looks like Tony is experiencing what could be distress, but why would he feel this way just from seeing the cosmos?

It did not make sense, until R’aath remembered: Tony had fallen through space and almost died. Death was a terrifying possibility to the living. R’aath and their people did not fear it as other species, but R’aath could understand what that kind of fear might do to someone.

Perhaps R’aath should offer some physical help. Humans seemed to value it.

So, R’aath slowly reached out and placed a hand on Tony Stark’s shoulder, but instead of finding comfort in the touch, the man flinched and collapsed on the ground. He was on all fours, breathing quickly, eyes wide and unseeing.

R’aath could see that the man was not mentally present. He was lost in some memory. A painful memory.

_Oh_ , thought R’aath. _I have been foolish_.

“ _Tony_ ,” they say, slowly and calmly. The man doesn’t react and looks like he will soon lose consciousness, so R’aath repeats more forcefully, “ _Tony_!”

He seems to snap out of whatever daze he was in and his eyes dart side to side. He lets out a long breath and blinks, trying to reorient himself. Seeing the man relax, R’aath decided to try again to comfort the human with physical touch.

They crouched down and once more placed a hand on his shoulder. Tony did not flinch away this time; he simply breathed, trying to get in back under control.

 Tony felt all the stress leave his body and he sat back on his legs. Hot and stinging tears rushed down his face, but he quickly wiped them away.

“I-I’m a riot, aren’t I?” Tony asked. He didn’t say it in the alien language (mostly because translating the whole metaphorical concept of being a “riot” seemed like it would be too much work) and he didn’t turn to R’aath.

He was so stupid. And weak. Doing this all over again.

“I apologize deeply, Tony Stark.”

R’aath’s strange voice pierced him, bringing him back to the present once more. Tony did turn to R’aath this time, but did not meet their strange eyes. And he cursed himself again for it, but he could not risk it; he had just gotten over a panic attack. Having another one on top of that wouldn’t be ideal.

“Yeah, it’s-”

Wait.

“Uh,” Tony said intelligently. R’aath stood and watched patiently. “Did you just speak English?”

“Yes. Is it so strange?”

“What the fuck.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry. Uh, _yeah_. Yeah, it’s pretty fucking _strange_.”

“Why would it be strange?”

“Well first of all, _you’re_ an _alien_. Second, you never _said_ you could speak it. And third, you’re an alien! From another planet! And I, no offense, but I never saw you take a walk downtown so I don’t know how you managed to learn English without visiting our place at least once.”

“Well, you _are_ learning _our_ language. Just because it is ‘alien’ does not mean it is impossible.”

“Yeah, so you mind explaining a few things here because I am beyond confused. I tried putting it all together, but I honestly don’t have enough information to come up with a clear picture. I mean, why lie? Why not just talk? Why bother with this whole mystery thing?”

“Hmm. Perhaps it had been a mistake to wait,” R’aath said, mostly to themselves. To Tony they said, “I did not want to rush things. We still had time, so I thought it wise to take things slowly to get you acquainted with life here. I know it can be distressing for humans to come across something very foreign and we did sort of kidnap you.”

“Okay, but why not just talk in English? Why bother teaching me?”

“Well, I’m afraid, our computer languages are written using our own special codes. For you to receive our message, we needed you to know how our programs operate. To understand our code, you need to know our language. Also, most of the people here do not know your languages. So, it was best to have _you_ learn instead. It would’ve made things much easier for you if you understood what was being said. I have seen that I should have been more direct with you. I did not know you would be more responsive to this.”

“And the whole kidnapping thing?”

“As I said, there is a message I need to deliver, but the majority had decided against it. We are not here lawfully. We had to be....discreet.”

“Discreet? Wow, I don’t think you know how indiscreet kidnapping me actually is.”

“Would you have us land on the White House and demand to speak to all of your leaders?”

Tony sighed. Yeah, R’aath had a point there. “Nah, I think that would be too stereotypical. But you’re not doing yourselves any favors by pulling this stunt.”

“Oh I’m well aware. However, I think you should appreciate that we are not performing experiments on you.” Was R’aath attempting humor? Tony didn’t feel funny at the moment.

“Yeah, I’m very grateful,” he replied drily. “So, uh, what’s the message?”

“Come with me,” R’aath simply said and turned to go. Tony saw no other option than to follow along.

* * *

 

The message they wanted him to receive was an encrypted piece of code. What that code meant was beyond Tony, but apparently it was important enough for R’aath and all these people here to risk their lives trying to pass it on. R’aath had explained that they had broken the law and stole this ship. The tool they used to get Tony was also heavily monitored by their governments, so they had to go against orders to bring him in.

This whole plan was shaky and seemed to have worked on hope alone. It always seemed seconds from snapping, from something going wrong. Tony was well acquainted with these kinds of plans. You could say his whole life was like that: shaky, seconds from snapping, but still hopeful.

It begged the question: why did they care so much? Why did it matter what happened to Earth and humanity? These alien people cared more about humans than other humans cared about humans.

Inside a strange room filled with alien tech and low blue lights Tony asked, “Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you all care so much?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” R’aath asked with a bewildered look. Or, at least, Tony thought it was bewildered.

And this made Tony pause. There were so many reasons he could think of why someone wouldn’t risk themselves like this.

“Um, off the top off my head? We’re complete strangers. Humanity has no relation to you.” Tony paused and squinted. “Or do we?”

“No. We’ve been to Earth, once upon a time, but beyond that, no relation.”

“So, why bother with all,” Tony waved his arm, “this?”

“Because we are a species that believes in helping. We do not attack, only defend. At least, I thought that was what we were, but fear runs deep. It has, unfortunately, gripped us as well.”

Their walk slowed and they stopped in front of a doorway. The door opened smoothly and quietly, moving away and to the side. Inside, Tony saw it was filled with all kinds of...people. They didn’t look like R’aath.

They didn’t look like Tony either.

“Who are they?”

“These are the others we called here.” R’aath paused and looked at Tony’s surprised face. “What? Did you think you were the only one?”

“Well – I. You just gave me an impression that I was the Chosen Boy,” Tony said with a smirk.

“Yes. We have many kinds of people here, from all over the universe. We need to warn as many as possible. Hopefully, as you learn more of our language, you will be able to speak to the others.”

Tony nodded his head along, but barely listened; he was already lost in all the possibilities, what being here meant.

He gulped.

“This is serious. Like, really serious.”

“Yes, Tony Stark. All is not well in our world.”

* * *

 

Thor stalked down the Bifrost, ready to speak to his father. Hopefully the old man would loosen up; whenever Thor came home he always tried to get him to stay. When will he learn that Earth was his realm to protect? He can’t just leave it behind. He can’t just leave his team. He’s sure they would fare well even without him, but they were used to working together. They had a dynamic! And who was Odin to try and break that?

The first thing that Thor noticed were the buildings in disrepair. Magic was holding them, to keep them from falling apart, but they were not in good shape. The palace, Thor hoped, would be fine.

He was wrong.

It, too, was crumbling in some parts, large gaps letting the light shine in. He rushed forward, pushing past people, and swinging his hammer to fly.

When he got to the gates, the guards were wary, but they knew only Thor could use the hammer, so they let him through with respectful bows. Inside, guards and the palace keepers were rushing about, trying to repair the building and attending the wounded. They didn’t even notice him as he walked past them. No one bothered to greet him or bow, such was their distress.

In the throne room, the throne was empty and for a second Thor felt his world stop, but he heard a familiar voice say, “Ah, my son. It is good of you to grace us with your presence, but I’m afraid you’re too late.”

Thor turned to find his father standing with a small rueful smile.

“Father,” he said with a nod. “What’s going on? What’s happened to the city and palace?”

“Ah,” the man nodded and grabbed Thor’s arm, leading him to the steps of the dais. They sat down and Thor noticed how relieved his father sounded. And exhausted. It was just another reminder that his father wasn’t young anymore. It was a reminder of what was to come.

“There was an attack.”

“I see that, but how did they get through?”

“That is the question everyone has been asking. We managed to keep them at bay, but for how long? The people fear they will come back to finish the job.”

Thor sat solemnly and contemplated what to do with this information. This was all so stupid. Whenever one thing went wrong, everything else had to follow along. It was like the universe loved to throw absolutely everything at Thor to test his patience.

“That’s just great,” he muttered.

“Pardon?”

“Oh nothing, just contemplating how everything likes to go wrong at the most inopportune of times.”

“Is there something troubling you, Thor?” Odin asked, curious and worried.

“Yes. My friend has gone missing without a trace. That’s why I came here, actually. I had no idea of the attack.”

“A disappearance, hm?” Odin asked, but Thor ignored him, his frustration riling up.

“My friend goes missing and now this? I’m convinced the universe is conspiring against me.”

Somewhere behind him, down the long hall, he heard a chuckle.

“I thought you learned by now that the universe doesn’t, in fact, revolve around you,” he heard a familiar drawl. His eyes widened.

He turned.

“Loki?”

He saw the smirk.

“Hello, brother.”


	6. Space and Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings for this chapter

**_Present_ **

Peter walked with a small spring in his step, dancing as he toweled his hair dry. _Fox on the Run_ played through the speakers in the ship.

The last mission had been messy, but fun.

As usual.

But for all the fun they’d had, they were ready to cool down.  

 “...you talk about just every band...” he mumble-sang to himself, going to the pilot’s seat. He passed Drax polishing and sharpening his blades. He thought he heard him hum, but it was probably just his imagination. Best not mention it; Peter knew when to pick his battles.

Rocket sat at the co-pilot’s seat (though none of them called it that because Rocket would get upset and Rocket on a good day can be a little shit, but when he’s upset? That’s when he brings out the big guns. In more ways than one. His personal artillery was not the only weapon he wields. Pettiness, that’s his lethal weapon). He had Groot, a bit bigger now, sitting on his shoulder, listening intently to him bragging about his role in the mission.

“I mean, come on! We went all the way to the other side of the freakin’ galaxy for that guy? The shit he put us through wasn’t even worth it! Plus, he was ugly as fuck. The whole tentacle look really doesn’t do it for me. I mean, at least give us something to look at if you’re not gonna pay the price!”

Groot nodded along. “I am Groot.”

“Right! I am so done with this whole saving-the-galaxy thing. It barely gets us any money!”

“Rocket, we’re supposed to be doing this because we’re heroes,” Peter interjected, sitting down in his chair.

“So? Don’t heroes get paid?”

“I mean, technically speaking, heroes are supposed to do the right thing for the good of everyone without expecting anything in return.”

Rocket stared at him.

“Y’know, altruism? That whole deal.”

“Yeah,” Rocket said slowly, “never heard of it. What’s the point of anything if you don’t get money out of it? I mean, how else are we supposed to survive? We go around kicking ass and solving the galaxy’s problems, the least we can get are some high quality Yinirian batteries.”

“Or, uh, food?” Peter offered.

“Oh yeah, that too.”

“What are you gonna use those batteries for anyway?” Peter asked. He wasn’t sure if he should’ve even asked.

“Uh, to power stuff, obviously,” Rocket answered. “Moron,” he added, under his breath.

Nope. Definitely shouldn’t have asked.

Peter rolled his eyes and sighed, looking out at the stretch of space before him. He forgets, sometimes, how big it is. He always almost gets used to it, but then he’ll really look out again into that expanse and it’d be like seeing it all for the first time again.

And it never fails to blow his mind.

Or sometimes he’ll go somewhere new and see a whole other side of the galaxy he’d previously missed out on. It was just that: exploring, getting used to it, then being surprised all over again. He imagined it was a little like being in love. But maybe Peter was just a romantic (not that he’d _ever_ say something like that out loud).

“So where we headed now?” the question came from out of nowhere.

“Jeez!” Peter shouted, jumping in his seat. He turned in his seat to see Gamora standing behind him. Rocket was cracking up in the background and Groot slowly joined him. He opened his mouth to continue, but then Drax’s really loud laugh got in the way. He sighed, closing his eyes and praying to any god that could still be out there to give him patience.

“Can you not do that? It’s not funny after, what, the billionth time you’ve done that.”

“I think it’s still funny,” Drax replied unhelpfully.

“I agree with big and blue,” Rocket said.

“Haha, hilarious,” Peter muttered, not sulking, at all.

“I got some new parts recently. They work well, don’t they? More useful for stealthy missions,” she replied with a small amused smile. Like that was gonna help in any way. Their inability to maintain stealth was laughable. How they managed to not get the entire galaxy blown up by now is one of the universe’s greatest mysteries. “So. We have anything up on the roster?”

“N-” he was interrupted by the comms coming online and Nova Prime’s face showing up on their screen. “Nova! How you been?”

“I have been fine. Where are you now?”

The crew seemed to still. They all gathered around his seat, paying close attention to the Nova Prime.

“Oh we just sort of finished up a job, actually. We’re heading to Knowhere right now, y’know, to chill out for a second.”

“I have to apologize, but you’ll have to put off your trip,” she replied. Peter thought he heard Rocket in the background, mumbling out something that sounded like a mockery of Peter, but he chose to be the bigger person and ignore it.

“Excuse me? Uh. Okay. Did-did we do something?”

He was confused for a second, but the soft snickering had him turning to Rocket. “Rocket! _What_ did you do?” he asked, trying to sound as stern as he could.

“What? Why’s it me? Why is it always me? It could’ve been Drax, I mean look at him. Who knows what he gets up to.”

“Yeah and we all know your particular penchant for theft and explosives.”

“I didn’t _steal_ anything! And I haven’t blown anything up, either. Well, at least nothing that didn’t need blowing up.”

“What is wrong with my appearance?” asked Drax.

“You’re big, blue, and bald. I don’t think I need to extrapolate further than that. You also seem to think pulling out spines is a perfectly acceptable social skill and you sharpen knives in your free time. Says everything you need to know.”

“I have not done anything illegal! And my physical appearance is not a problem. I’ve been told I’m quite sexually desirable.”

“Yeeaaah. Whatever makes you feel better. Besides, whatever it is you did, it’s not like any of us will be surprised.”

“Guardians!” shouted the Nova Prime. “You are not in any trouble. I have a mission for you. A very particular mission.”

Peter turned and looked at his crew. They all stared at each other. They hadn’t had a real assignment in a long time. Sure, they go out on missions here and there, but most of them are direct missions from various individuals throughout the galaxy. They rarely get anything from the Prime herself. For her to be asking help...

“Alright,” Peter said. “What’s this mission about?”

“It’s a simple transport mission.”

“Okaaay.”

If was simple, though, why would the Prime herself be asking them for help?

“Your passenger is a Terran and you’ll be bringing him back to Terra,” she explained.

The whole pilot deck was silent, everyone frozen in various states of shock.

Peter was the first one that managed to say something. “Uh, what?”

“We’ll be expecting you. Come as quickly as possible. Till then, Guardians.”

And then she hung up, leaving them all to sit and stand around, looking like the idiots they were.

“Oh great!” Rocket started. “We’re gonna be acting as glorified babysitters now! We save the galaxy that _one_ _time_ , now everybody wants a piece of this! I get it. But _that_? I thought this was gonna bring us glory and fame! It’s only gone down-hill from here if they think all we’re good for is looking after some half-wit humie.”

Gamora sighed. “You’re an idiot,” she said to Rocket.

“Excuse me?”

“Did you even stop and think about this? They’re asking us to transport a human back to Terra. How many humans besides Peter have you seen around here?”

“Uuuh, none?”

“So why is there another one? I don’t think he got here by accident.”

“So what you’re saying is someone brought him here. What, like Peter? You think this was the Ravagers’ doing?”

“Could be.”

“Oh my God,” Peter burst out. “It could be a kid, like me. Or was.”

“Exactly,” Gamora replied. “They asked us to do this for a reason. I don’t think it’s a simple babysitting mission. Whoever this guy is, he’s important.”

“But he’s just a kid, how important can he be?” Rocket asked.

“I am Groot,” Groot replied, his tone disapproving.

“Okay, yeah, so he might have family, that doesn’t make him important on an intergalactic scale,” Rocket replied.

“Well, we don’t know if he’s a kid. And we don’t know if it was the Ravagers that got him. Just a theory,” Gamora said, crossing her arms.

“We’ll find out more when we get there. For now, let’s get ready, guardians; we’ve got a mission.”

* * *

 

**_2 Months Ago_ **

He turned and saw that down the walkway, near the doorway, stood Loki. His helmet was missing and he was dressed plainly, no armor in sight. He smirked and walked down the aisle to stand before Thor and their father.

“Loki?” he asked again, still not able to believe his eyes. “Is this some kind of trick? Why is he here?” he asked Odin.

“He was the one to give the warning, actually.”

Thor turned, eyes wide, to Loki.

“Oh, believe me, I was surprised, too,” Loki replied. “But then, how will I get the throne if it’s all in ruins? I can’t conquer a broken realm. Besides, it’s _my_ job to break pretty things.”

“I’m so thankful for your generous consideration,” Thor drawled. Being around humans has taught him a thing or two about sarcasm. He’d thought he was decent at it, but his human friends proved to be skilled beyond himself. They could rival even Loki. Maybe.

Loki raised an unimpressed brow and Odin took this pause to interrupt. “Now’s not the time for petty bickering. The people here are in danger. We need fire power.” He gave Thor a significant look. “You will stay here, for the time being.”

“But, father -” Thor began.

“No. I understand you have come to care for Midgard and its people, but these are _your_ people, Thor. In more ways than one. It is your duty.”

“I know my duties well. Why do you think I’m here? We need to find my friend. He could be anywhere right now.”

“Your friend will be fine. He is not helpless. I am sure your friends will find him wherever he may be. Midgard is a big place, but not infinite.”

“That’s the problem; he’s not on Midgard. There is no trace of him. When I say ‘disappeared’, I mean disappeared.”

“So you believe this is the work of some outside force?” Loki asked, finally speaking up again. He didn’t look happy or gleeful as Thor might have expected. He looked intrigued, with a touch of concern hidden somewhere on his face. He couldn’t hid it well enough for Thor, though.

“Perhaps. It seems like it.”

“Maybe you were right, Thor,” Odin said.

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps this disappearance and this attack have a connection.”

“How could they possibly be connected?” asked Loki.

“Oh, my son, you’ve seen so much yet still know so little. Everything in this universe is connected, one way or another. Maybe it isn’t obvious at first, but those tiny strings, sometimes you’ll catch sight of them. And as you think and wonder, they become stronger and thicker, and then you can’t help but to see the threads of the universe.”

“That sounds like magical theory,” Loki said, somewhat surprised.

“Well of course. I’m no great mage, but I do know plenty. Regardless, Thor, I want you to describe your friends disappearance. In full detail.”

“Anthony disappeared from his lab. His computer, JARVIS, told us that he simply vanished without a trace. There was no tampering with his cameras. And there was no residual energy. There were no alarms, nothing. He was simply there, then he was gone. The only thing that was of note was that he saw something, out of the corner of his eye. But then, he tends to stay awake for long periods of time, it could have been a hallucination.”

“Clearly it was not,” Loki said. “He was abducted. And not by humans.”

“No, I don’t think so, either,” said Odin. “This seems like dimension manipulation. Several species know how to do it. Us included.”

“But Anthony is aware of our technology and it didn’t look Asgardian. I would have known.”

“No, it wasn’t us.”

“This dimensional manipulation...it’s very specific. If there’s no time lost. It’s certainly different from the Bifrost,” Loki reasoned. He had his chin in his hand, his eyes focused and thinking. It had been a while since Thor has seen him like this, thinking through a problem and trying to find a solution. Loki had always liked puzzles.

It’s why Thor liked coming down to the lab sometimes, just to see Anthony work. He always reminded of a younger Loki. He was so similar to him, and yet so different. Loki wanted to drop the world and see what happened as it broke, but Anthony would do everything in his power to stop the fall. And when it did fall, he would meticulously try to fix it. He always wanted to fix things, but never seemed to have the right amount of time.

_Wait_.

“Time,” Thor said.

“Pardon?” Loki asked.

“Time. That’s what they manipulated. It wasn’t just space. There was no loss of time, because they manipulated time, somehow. And Anthony only barely noticed it before it took effect. They took him in between seconds. They took him when time was standing still, when not even JARVIS’s cameras could see.”

“Well, then,” said Odin. “I might have an idea where he is.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr @lesya-writes!!!


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